


Love That Can't Be Broken

by Spacecadet72



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 16:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17881046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Matthew suspects that Diana isn't aging. But that can't be right, can it?





	Love That Can't Be Broken

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a conversation on tumblr about whether Diana is immortal or not. This was my take on the answer to the question. Set several years post Book of Life, but no spoilers for Time's Convert. 
> 
> Title comes from the Twin Forks song "Can't Be Broken."

Diana ran her fingers through Matthew's hair, her head resting on his shoulder while he read. They were lying in bed, on a quiet night after the children were asleep. She smiled as she reached the gray hairs she'd magically gifted him. It had been years since she'd changed the first few strands as a Christmas gift, and each year the gray had added so that they could grow old together.

"You know," she said softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment they had created, "I think you have more gray hair than I do."

"I am slightly older than you, _mon coeur,_ " he said, his tone dry, but she could see the corner of his mouth twitch up in a small smile.

"I'm serious," she said, rolling her eyes. "I turned 40 last month, shouldn't I have some? Especially with the stress of raising magical vampire twins?" she cracked a smile and felt Matthew chuckle.

He set his book down and turned to look at her. "Not everyone gets gray at the same rate, Diana,” he said, reaching up to rest his hand on her cheek. “What is this about?”

He always could see through her, she thought as she met his eyes. “I’ve just been thinking lately how I’ll age and you won’t and how that will change things.”

“It will never change how I feel for you,” Matthew said, his tone serious. “I will love you for the rest of my life.”

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Matthew," Diana said, with a sigh. "You'll outlive me, have decades longer with our children. I don't regret the life we live, but it makes me sad sometimes."

Matthew leaned up to press a soft kiss to her lips. "That's true, but we've got plenty of life still yet to live."

Diana closed her eyes and nodded. "You're right. I guess this birthday just got me thinking."

"Would you like me to distract you?" Matthew asked with a grin.

Diana laughed and surged forward to meet his lips with her own.

* * *

 

Diana forgot all about her melancholy over her age, busy with teaching, Congregation duties and her family.

She was looking through an album of photos Matthew had put together shortly after the twins first birthday. They were so small back then, not the elementary school age children they were now. Small, but with personalities and abilities that were larger than life.

"What are you looking at?"

Diana looked up from the album, her smile still firmly in place as she saw Matthew leaning against the library door frame.

"Photo album of the twins when they were little," she said holding it up for him to see.

He walked over to her, joining her on the love seat. "Don't you miss it sometimes? Them being so little?" she asked, pointing to a picture of the four of them. Diana and Matthew were standing next to each other, each holding one of the twins. Diana and Matthew were smiling at the camera, while Philip stared solemnly ahead and Rebecca stared up at Matthew, reaching for him with one small hand.

Matthew nodded. "It's amazing to think they were ever that small."

"I know you don't age, but it's amazing to look at this photo and think it could have been taken yesterday," Diana said with a small laugh, staring at the photo of her husband. The only difference was the gray hair, and she knew that wasn't real.

"You could say the same thing about you," Matthew said slowly, leaning closer to the album as if not trusting his sight.

Diana laughed. "Please, I'm flattered, but I'm not in my early 30's anymore."

Matthew looked up, his expression perfectly serious. "I'm not trying to flatter you, _mon coeur_. Look at yourself. You haven't aged a day."

Diana looked back down at the photo and stared at it for a second. She did look similar, but it couldn't be because she wasn't aging. She was just aging better than she'd anticipated.

"Well, it hasn't been that many years, I guess I'm just aging well."

Matthew looked down at the picture before looking back up at Diana. "You may be right, but I think there's something more to this."

Diana's eyes widened. "You're not seriously suggesting that I'm not aging, are you? I'm not a vampire."

"Janet Gowdie's a witch and she ages incredibly slowly."

"Because she's part vampire," Diana said with a shake of her head. She took in a deep breath. If what Matthew was suggesting was true...

"Would you mind if I ran some tests?" Matthew asked, reaching for her hand and taking it in his.

Diana shouldn't have been surprised, but she could only look at him in shock for a moment. She let out a sigh. "No, if there is something going on, we should know."

Diana looked back down at the photo album. Could Matthew be right?

* * *

 

Diana reread the same passage for the tenth time, and with a frustrated sigh, closed the book and set it down on the table next to her. Usually focus wasn't a problem for her when doing research. She pressed her hands against her eyes and let out a groan of frustration.

"Waiting on results?"

Diana dropped her hands and looked over to see Marcus standing in the doorway.

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Matthew said he hoped to have them today."

"Waiting is the worst part," Marcus said as he walked into the library. "Where are the twins?"

"At a playdate."

Marcus nodded and pulled out a chair for himself. "What are you hoping the results say?"

"I've been asking myself the same question, and I keep going back and forth," she said shaking her head. "On the one hand, I'd love more time with Matthew and the kids, not to mention everyone else, but on the other hand, if my aging is slowed or stopped, what does that mean and why is it happening? It seems like not that long ago that I thought I didn't even want to be a witch, and now..." she said gesturing to herself and the evidence of her skills as a weaver and the book of life inside her.

Marcus reached out and grabbed her hand with his, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Well, no matter what the results say, you're not alone. You've got a whole scion behind you."

Diana smiled. "Thank you, Marcus."

There was a noise at the door and both Diana and Marcus looked up to see Matthew standing there with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Would you give us a moment, Marcus?" Matthew asked softly.

Marcus nodded and with one last squeeze to her hand before standing up and giving Matthew a nod.

Matthew took Marcus' seat and set the piece of paper down between them on the table.

Diana looked down at the paper, but couldn't decipher any of the words or symbols on it.

"What do the results say?" she asked, looking up at Matthew and trying to push down the worry that welled up inside her at Matthew's carefully blank expression.

Matthew pointed at a symbol in the middle of the paper. "Your cells are showing signs of slowed aging. Not stopped, but definitely slowed."

"Do you know about how much longer I'll live?" Diana asked.

Matthew shook his head. "There's no way to know for sure, but you're most likely looking at centuries instead of only decades."

"Centuries..." Diana said softly, as if saying the word for the first time. Live for centuries? She couldn't fathom it. "Do you know why?"

"We can't know for sure, but my guess would be it has something to do with your deal with the Goddess or the Book of Life. Or both."

Diana nodded. Those possibilities has both occurred to her as well. But those questions could wait. "I get longer with you and the twins?" she said, a slow smile playing at her lips as she contemplated the possibilities.

Matthew nodded, a grin spreading across his face to match hers. "The children and I get you for longer."

Diana's grin only widened and she stood to give Matthew a hug.

"That's not the only thing the blood work showed," Matthew said as she pulled back.

"What is it?" Diana asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Diana, there's nothing wrong," he said with a shake of his head and a breathy laugh.

"Then what is it?" Diana asked, his smile easing her worries.

"The twins are going to have a brother or sister," he said, his gaze flicking down to her stomach.

Diana's eyes widened. "I'm pregnant? I had no idea."

"You're only about a month along, so that doesn't surprise me."

Diana's placed her hands on her stomach, amazed that another life was growing there. She had thought, with her age, that they were done having children, at least this way. She looked up at him as a thought occurred to her.

"You don't think it's another set of twins?"

Matthew laughed. "It's too early to tell, but nothing would surprise me at this point."

"We're having a baby," Diana said, her smile wide.

"We're having a baby," Matthew repeated, rising up to kiss her soundly.

Diana smiled into the kiss, knowing their family was growing and she'd get more time with them than she thought possible.

"Oh, Diana," Matthew said as the kiss ended. "I love you."

"And I love you," Diana said cupping his cheek with her hand.


End file.
